Thanksgiving 2017 in America

I was born 74 years ago in 1943 during World War II. Historians tell me there were many complicated causes of World War II. Among them, and perhaps most important, was political instability in Germany as large sectors of the German population rejected the legitimacy of the Weimar Republic which was blamed for Germany’s defeat in World War I. Ultimately, political instability in Germany led to the rise of the Nazi Party, leading to the ascendency of Adolph Hitler in 1933 and the beginning of World War II with the German invasion of Poland in 1939.

For all of my life, despite its faults, America has been the essential stabilizing force for peace and good in the world; fighting with its blood and treasure the various regional armed conflicts and radical Islamic terrorism since the end of World War II. If America collapses, the world collapses!

Political instability in America today manifests itself in many unproductive ways; from political correctness, obstructionist identity politics, revisionist history to Charlottesville and political protests in NFL football stadiums. To be sure, America has many serious problems, but the daily bombardment by unsupported opinions in news and social media outlets are counterproductive to solving these problems. All Americans need to put down their smart phones/devices, set politics and political labels aside, analyze the facts objectively and start talking to, instead of at, each other about solving problems. Most importantly, Americans need to elect political leaders that care about nothing else but solving problems with bipartisan solutions.

That said, commonsense tells me that America is far less divided and far more united than the news media and social media would have us believe. Commonsense also tells me that after the rough patch of the last 30 years, America’s best days are ahead.